Techeetah's Vergne takes home pole at Paris ePrix

Current Formula E championship leader Jean-Eric Vergne took a first step towards winning his home race after clinching pole for this afternoon's ePrix in Paris.

The Techeetah driver, who also celebrated his 28th birthday this week, was the fastest among the top five Super Pole contenders, followed by DS Virgin's Sam Bird, his team mate André Lotterer, Venturi's Maro Engel and Andretti's Antonio Felix da Costa.

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Audi's Lucas di Grassi, Dragon's Jerome D'Ambrosio, Renault e.dams Sebastien Buemi, NIO's Oliver Turvey and Dragon's José Maria Lopez completed the top ten.

Jaguar's Nelson Piquet Jr. was forced to remain on the sidelines for the grid-defining session following a mishap and damage to his car in free practice. It's a rush against time for the Brazilian's mechanics to put the Jaguar driver on the grid for this afternoon's race which kicks off at 16h00 local time.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.